VICTORIA – Government has
accepted all of the recommendations from the Pharmaceutical Task Force,
announced Health Minister George Abbott today.

“The task force has provided us
with insightful analysis on improving patient care and enhancing the quality,
safety and value of our world-class PharmaCare program,” said Abbott. “Their
advice and recommendations will strengthen our significant investments in this
vital area of the public health system, so that patients in B.C. continue to
benefit from a public drug plan that is based on the best scientific evidence
and sustainable for future generations.”

In November 2007, the nine-member
task force – made up of clinical professionals, academics, pharmaceutical
industry leaders and government policy-makers – was charged with advising
government on key areas of pharmaceutical policy within the health system.
Their report offers recommendations aimed at creating a more streamlined and
transparent drug review process while delivering the best patient outcomes and
the best value to British Columbians.

“The
Ministry of Health will begin working with stakeholders on some recommendations
immediately, while others are more complex and will take some time to plan and
implement,” said Abbott. “Our work to enhance the Province’s pharmaceutical
policy has the interests of patients as our foremost consideration, while
assuring maximum value for taxpayers.”

Government’s implementation of the
recommendations will be guided by six principles:

1.The best interests of the patient are paramount.

2.The B.C. government is obliged to seek the best value possible
for taxpayer dollars in its expenditures.

3.The foundation of all drug benefit decisions will be
predicated upon a transparent evidence-based review process.

4.The B.C. government is committed to fair, open and transparent
procurement processes.

5.All persons involved in making decisions respecting the
procurement of goods and services by government must be free from conflict of
interest, both real and perceived.

6.The B.C. government values a healthy, competitive
pharmaceutical industry that will continue to provide both financial and human
resource investments in B.C.

B.C. faces increasing demand for prescriptions
each year – with a 46-per-cent increase over the past four years from 18.3
claims per patient in 2002 to 26.8 claims per patient in 2006. In the past two
years, PharmaCare has added more than 480 individual generic drugs and more
than 50 brand drugs to its formulary. Since 2001, PharmaCare’s budget has
increased by more than 50 per cent, from $654 million to $1.016 billion in
2008/09.

PharmaCare subsidizes eligible
prescription drugs and designated medical supplies, protecting British
Columbians from high drug costs. PharmaCare provides financial assistance to
British Columbians under Fair PharmaCare and other specialty plans. More than
23 million prescriptions are now covered each year under the B.C. PharmaCare
program.